Charming Ways
by chocolaterie
Summary: ON INDEFINITE HIATUS. He wins, fair and square. His dream will be fulfilled. She has a problem with that and hurts his feelings. He's determined to make her take it back and apologize no matter the cost.
1. Failure

Despair filled my entire being as my last Pokemon fell to a Focus Blast.

A grinning N stood victorious behind his Zoroark.

I had failed not only Cheren and Alder, but all of Unova... all of the trainers who loved their Pokemon, who had supported them and watched them grow. I wrecked it. Team Plasma won. They were going to fulfill their wish to liberate Pokemon. I dropped to my knees, my fallen Pokemon crawling towards me and nudged my palm. I gently stroked it's head with a forlorn smile. This may be the last time I saw it. "You did amazing. I hope you know that. You're such a wonderful Pokemon. I'm so lucky to have been able to share this incredible journey with you."

I reached into my bag and fished out all six of my Pokeballs, returning the one that occupied my lap. "I hope you can hear me in there," I gave the balls a fond smile. "The same goes for you guys too. I'm so happy that you chose to stay with me this long. We made a pretty great team, yeah?"

My heart wrenched with guilt as Cheren and Alder ran into the throne room. They froze as soon as they saw me on the ground. Cheren's face instantly lit up with rage and he turned to N. "You, you low-life... how could you!" He reached for a Pokeball, but was stopped by Ghestis, who had appeared in front of N.

"I'd advise you not to. You are now standing before the King of Unova. Besides, you are in _his_ castle. Should he wish, he could, and most certainly would, get Plasma Grunts upon you like the plague."

Alder placed a large hand upon Cheren's shoulder, keeping the young boy in place. He then made a motion that surprised me. "Forgive Cheren's impudence. He's merely surprised is all. You see, he's never seen anyone defeat Shadow or Cake before."

Cheren grit his teeth and his hand clenched around the Pokeball.

I, on the other hand, went stock still once my older brother's name was mentioned. Shadow and I were twins. Our mother and father had come to agreement over the name seeing as Dark-type Pokemon were our father's favorite. And when I came out a couple minutes after, well... our mother took the liberty of naming me Cake. She was thoroughly amused by it. Having two, somewhat identical children- naming one after an intangible substance and the other after an edible substance. I'm sure she was just hyped up on the drugs they used to ease the pain from birthing twins. Besides, how often did you meet people named Cake or Shadow?

Shadow. He loved Pokemon with all his heart and soul. He wouldn't have lost this battle even if it meant him going in and fighting alongside his Pokemon. He was always so strong. I've never seen him lose. He had left for his journey a year earlier than me. He had already defeated the Elite Four and the Champion, moving onto a new region, by the time Bel, Cheren, and I started our journey. Shadow was part of the reason for Cheren's urge to become the strongest of the strong. Shadow would be so disappointed in me...

"Father, that's enough." N's voice was oddly complacent for someone who just succeeded in reaching their goal. "My friends and I did not come this far just to be cruel to others."

He fixed everyone in the room with a hard glare and walked forward. His gaze softened when he stood before me. He gave a sort of cautious smile, very much like a child would when in trouble- small in size, but meaning no harm. A hand reached down, gently taking hold of my wrist, and pulled me up. I craned my neck up to glare at him. N was at least a foot taller, if not more. He still wore that wary smile though his eyes were ablaze with swarming emotions.

"Cake, please, this was obviously meant to be. Don't hate me. My dream, Team Plasma's dream also, it's going to come true! Think of all the suffering Pokemon that will be better off free and happy. They won't have to fight anymore. They can be at peace. It's magnificent!"

N's glowing face dampened upon noticing that my expression grew more fowl. I wouldn't be surprised if he could feel the hate radiating off of my being.

"Why... why are you angry at me? You're my friend. Friends are supposed to support their friends in all that they do. Friends are supposed to be happy for their friends when they reach their goal, right?"

"Right," I spat out. "_Friends _tend to do that."

I smirked at his now crestfallen face. Hurt was swimming in his eyes. Part of me felt guilty, part of me enjoyed this. Guilty because I had hurt N's feelings. I had rained on his parade; his sick, twisted, and demented parade. Enjoyment because now he was the one hurting. His pain was my pleasure. Dear Lord, I am such a bitch.

My stomach churned with my unusual behavior. This was wrong. Just because I had lost doesn't mean that I could be bitter. ...But, but I had lost an important battle. A freaking battle for human and Pokemon-kind! I had an excuse, didn't I?

_No. No, you didn't._ A soft, disappointed voice murmured from inside me. _You're usually more graceful than this. You let winning get to your head. You thought you were invincible. Maybe that's why you lost. You lost because you weren't fully in it for the greater good. You were too worried about winning, and your Pokemon emulated that. Had you been fighting for the right reasons, I have no doubts that you would have won._

"We're _not_ friends?" N's voice was now very small.

"Are you kidding me? _Of course_ we're friends! We're the _best_ of friends!" My voice dripped with malice. N's face contorted first into hurt, but was wiped clean as an emotionless expression etched it's way upon it. I flinched as his free hand shot into the air. I gave him a confused look as he snapped. Steeled over, emerald eyes were my only reply.

"Well then... we can't have that, now can we?" He murmured softly so only he and I could hear. He began to pull me towards Ghestis as the Shadow Triad and Plasma Grunts appeared. The Grunts forced Cheren and Alder out while the Shadow Triad took hold of me. I cried out in a pain as a sharp blow was delivered to my neck.

Everything began to fade into black...

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><p><strong>AN:**

**I decided to use _my_ character's name from my game. My cousin wanted me to incorporate _his_ character's name into the story too. So, there are your reasons for having two characters named Cake and Shadow. I apologize if it irritates you, but I've always named my characters after food... uh, yeah. ^-^;**

**Well... other than and back-story, this all should be self-explanatory. **

**Happy reading!  
><strong>


	2. Decisions

I groaned, doubling over in pain. My neck was killing me. It felt like I had went to bed with my head parallel with my shoulder. I grit my teeth as I slowly straightened my neck. My lips parted as a sigh of relief escaped. I opened my eyes hesitantly, afraid of what I might see.

All I saw was black. I, beginning to freak out, waved my hands in front of my face. I could feel the wind from the motions, but black filled my vision._ Oh no. This is not good. **Not** good. **Not** **good!**_ Panic struck me like a thunderbolt. I floundered around in hopes of sitting up. Maybe my eyes would work then.

I ended up on the ground in a tangled heap.

Yeah, this just is not my day.

I was seriously disoriented. I hadn't even known that I was on an elevated surface. I blinked... or at least I think I did. Who even knew anymore? The darkness greeted me every time. Shapes began to swirl into existence before me. Horrible pictures played like a silent movie. I squeezed my eyes shut, pulling the mass of fabric over me, but the images were already imprinted in my mind.

My hand instinctively shot to my side, grasping for something only to remain empty. My bag wasn't there. That meant I didn't have any of my Pokemon. Dread spread throughout my body like a wild fire. I felt so helpless. These images, they wouldn't stop. Tears spilled from my eyes like a tipped over glass.

_Make it stop. Please, make it stop. I'll do **anything**._

I tried to think happy thoughts, but that backfired. My happy memories instantly turned into a horror film. My biggest fears came to life inside my head. The feeling I perceived was the absolute worst. As I lay gasping in emotional pain, a light appeared. I sobbed as my mind continued to trick me with what I wanted most.

My vision went white as footsteps approached. I blinked rapidly, floaters were still apparent in my sight, to adjust my eyes to the light. The blankets were lifted and I stared at the younger green-haired man. His eyes widened as he took note of my teary eyes. An indifferent mask quickly replaced his concern as he addressed me in an emotionless voice.

"I see you're finally awake. Now, we need to discuss something," He sat next to where I was, now sitting up rather than laying down. "It would be in your best... ah, what's the word, interest to release your Pokemon."

He held up two Pokeballs, a Premier Ball, a Nest Ball, a Dusk Ball, and an Ultra Ball before placing the balls aside.

"It will set a good precedent for others who have Pokemon to see a capable trainer abide by the rules. I will address the public today about releasing their Pokemon. Once that is done, Team Plasma will go out to every city and town to ensure that no Pokemon is still held captive."

We sat on the ground quietly. If he was expecting me to say something, he'd better not hold his breath because he'd die before I did. I could tell he was getting frustrated by the way his hands clenched every now and then. I took notice of his attire. It wasn't his traveling clothes, but it wasn't really anything regal-looking either. An untucked, white button-up covered by a black tuxedo jacket, a pair of dark-wash jeans, and black sneakers. In place of his hat was a crown.

I numbly looked at the balls as he placed them in my lap.

"We can go out to the castle's gardens. You can release them there... Why do you look so sad? They'll be free. They won't have to fight anymore. They can live as they please."

His voice was so earnest, but did he know that what he thought was good and what others thought was good were on two completely different levels? He bent over to peer at my face and a frown slowly took hold of his lips as he stared at me. As if some wonderful news had struck him, he sat up straight with a wonderful smile.

"Oh, I see now." My heart fluttered with hope. _Please say it. Please say you know that what you're doing is wrong._ "You don't know your way around the castle yet!"

I closed my eyes, letting out a shaky breath, as my heart was shot down. _I shouldn't have even thought that he would..._ I opened my eyes and bit back a sob. N gave a gentle, reassuring smile, mistaking my emotional state for embarrassment, and pulled me off of the ground. "It's okay. I'll show you the way to the gardens and then I'll give you the full tour so you'll never get lost. You'll be so happy here, I know it."

I kept my Pokeballs clutched to my chest in a secure grip, staring down any and every Grunt that gave me a dumbfounded look. I knew that I looked like a mad woman and I'm sure that I felt worse than I looked. N, who was seemingly oblivious to all things except Pokemon, held my hand, swinging the interlocked extremities and hummed.

He opened a door and looked at me. The sun's setting rays illuminated N magnificently while, at the same time, casting shadows in all the right places. The golden scarlet rays reflected in his somber eyes burned with such intensity that it took my breath away. He had never looked so devilish, so appealing. "Ladies first."

I thanked him and walked out, the crisp air clearing my muddled mind.

"This way," N murmured, not looking at me, softly. He took a path that led to a tiny forest. Once we reached what I assumed to be the heart of the woods, he stopped. "I've been... thinking. I suppose that it wouldn't be _entirely_ bad for you to keep one of your Pokemon. Reshiram did not acknowledge you for no reason. You have something special about you. The way your Pokemon speak about you, it's unlike anything I've ever witnessed."

He turned, his verdant gaze locking onto my own stormy orbs. His eyes were burning again, but this time on their own, with their own passion. My body rooted itself as his long strides brought him a foot away from me. He searched my face with a slight frown before hesitantly bringing a hand to my face, timidly stroking my cheek.

"You're the only person who deserves to be my friend. You're special and I want you all to myself. I'll do whatever it takes for you to accept me. ... That is why I am allowing you to keep a Pokemon."

My mouth was dry. I couldn't breath. His eyes were suffocating. They made me feel as though I would never live again._ He's the enemy. What are you _thinking_? _

"Which Pokemon will you be keeping?"

He was asking me to choose. To pick only _one_ of my companions to keep with me. I was fully aware of the tears welling up, but I pushed through that to glare at him. He was so cruel and acted as though he wasn't aware of it. Did he understand the bond that a trainer and their Pokemon forged when on their journey? Of course not. He released his Pokemon after every battle. He wouldn't know. He didn't understand that this could break me.

The tears began to fall and N's frown grew more pronounced.

"What's wrong? I thought you'd be happy. I did this so that you'd be happy."

My stomach churned at how honest his words were. It was like a little boy ripping up his mothers freshly planted garden and presenting her with the plants in hopes of a kiss. _He doesn't know any better. He doesn't know that he's rubbing salt into the wound._

"I can't," I swiped the back of my hand across my face. "I can't just _pick one_ Pokemon I want to keep; I want to keep them all. I've had special moments with every single one of my Pokemon. They all mean so much to me. If I can't keep them all, then I don't want to keep any of them."

I looked up to N with my blotchy, but determined face.

"You can take away my Pokemon, but you can't take away the memories we've made."

The green-haired boy looked on solemnly as I called forth my Pokemon and explained to them what was happening. My Samurott was the most reluctant to leave. He kept coming back, nudging at my palms and legs. I bit my lip, my body now shaking with swallowed sobs. Samurott had been there since the beginning. It surprised me how badly it hurt to know that I'd never see him, or any of my Pokemon, again.

Samurott followed us back to the castle's side door. I knew that N had let him follow for my sake, but now I had to send him off permanently. I crouched down, still shaking, and took hold of his furry face.

"Hey buddy, I know you're kind of confused about all of this. Apparently it's for the best..." I inhaled deeply to steady my voice. "But _I'm _not too convinced on that. I want you to do me a favor, okay? I want you to take care of all your buddies, especially the small ones. Sound good?"

I offered him my clenched fist. I let out a watery laugh as he accepted, bumping my hand with his nose. I watched him turn and head back to the woods. A feeling of emptiness began to fill me. I managed to get one sentence out before breaking down completely, my body now a tangled heap on the ground.

"Take care, big guy."

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><p><strong>AN:**

**Sorry it took so long to get an update. **This was actually the first chapter I had written for this story. It's somewhat confusing, but you'll understand it later on. **I wrote this in my Biology notebook during school, but never got around to typing it up on the computer. Oh well, as long as it's updated there's really no harm, eh?**

**Happy reading!**


	3. Hopeless

**Author's Note:**

I am so, so sorry for how long it has taken me to get around to updating. I hope all of you will be able to forgive me. Life's just been... hectic. I think I've bitten off more than I can ever hope to chew with school and extracurricular activities, but I'm trying my hardest to multi-task. Well, enough babbling and onto the update!

* * *

><p>The bleeding sun had long since fled, the moon just beginning to gain height in the deep, dark blue realm. I lashed out, hysterically sobbing, as N tried to scoop me up. He leaned back, but remained crouching; he was biding his time. He wore an affronted look, courtesy of my remark on where I'd shove his hands if he touched me again. My crying had brought on a wave of exhaustion, my sobs ebbing into watery whimpers and hiccups.<p>

The young king took the opportunity to pounce. His arms slipped under my head and knees, locking my body in a secure grip, and he made his way back into the castle. Unlike earlier, there were no Grunts running about to create a sense of liveliness to the building. Instead, it was eerily quite. The silence was only interrupted by the steady footfalls of my captor. I buried my head into his chest, not caring if I ruined the black and white materials with my tears.

I whimpered and clung to his chest as one of the arms disappeared. I peaked around in bewilderment when I remained close to the young man's body. We were in front of two grandiose doors. I snuck a glance up and saw N staring ahead, the freed arm opening the closest door. I hid my head in his shoulder when his green gaze snapped down to me. In the second it took for that to transpire, I'd gotten a good fill of his face. And his face was uncharacteristically blank.

I jumped at the sound of a closing door. I was so caught up in his lack of emotion to even notice the rocking motion of his walk. We were in a bedroom. Black and white checkerboard flooring, dark green walls, and coordinated furniture seemingly placed carelessly throughout the spacious room.

Despite the safety the confines of his room held, he kept his hold on me and approached the ivory framed bed. Only then did he release me. I marveled at the coolness the dark silk provided as it met my exposed flesh. _Hey idiot, stop acting like an impoverished bum. He's still here._ And so he is I noted dryly as my gaze locked on to his hands, both placed on either side of my legs.

"You need to eat more."

I'm sure my face looked as stupid as his statement sounded. Of all the conversation starters available, he chose to comment on my caloric intake? Yeah, some king Unova's got.

"I'll get Concordia to bring you some food, unless you would like to eat dinner with the rest of the castle...?" I didn't miss the _'with me'_ that was implied. He looked at me hopefully, eyes filled with the emotion. The same emotion that I, and all of Unova, had no choice but to give up now. That thought stirred the bitter feelings in me.

"Like hell I want to eat with you people," I muttered under my breath. "If _you_ were the one on the platter with an apple in your mouth."

The deep frown on N's face told me he wasn't amused.

"That wasn't very nice, Cake. Friends arent supposed to be mean to each other, but I understand. Your ignorant view of Plasma's goal of Pokemon liberation is something I'm used to dealing with. You really shouldn't take it out on me though. You had your chance of stopping me, but we both know how _that_ turned out."

He strode to the doors and disappeared behind them before I could open my mouth, but when I did... even the sailors on the S.S. Anne would have blushed. I rose from the bed and stormed around the room, knocking knick-knacks off shelves, and kicking at armchairs. I stayed away from the onyx doors despite the urge to chase N down and make him regret his words. I was reckless, not stupid, and even I knew not to cross the unspoken boundary.

I was not to leave this room.

I let out another string of curses, and with a final kick to a chair, I dropped to the floor. My anger still ate at me, but there was no use in me beating up the furniture when my problem lay with the owner. To be honest, the furniture was beautiful. Ebony coffee tables and shelves decorated with white trinkets, cream couches held claim on green throw pillows and blankets while accents of the color were strategically scattered in various forms.

I poked at a bruise on my leg. I'd gotten it during the battle when chunks of the throne room began to collapse. Getting crushed would've been better than this.

A slight knock echoed in the room before the door was opened, revealing the blonde goddess... empty-handed. _No food? Well isn't that a bitch._ I scrunched my nose in distaste. The braided female eyed me, as if sizing me up, before snapping. A line of grunts filed in, each bearing a tray filled with foods of every sort. They stood at attention before her, waiting for their next command.

"Come on then, come pick what you want." Her voice was soft, yet lacked the warmth it usually had when N was nearby. She waited, but it soon became apparent that I was not moving anytime soon. They could come to me for all I cared. Hungry or not, I wasn't about to be their new pet- begging for table scraps and waiting eagerly for my next command to please.

Concordia must have sensed this because her eyes narrowed considerably. Her lack of movement made it obvious she was still waiting on me, refusing to back down from her position. A Grunt shuffled slightly in discomfort. I raised an eyebrow before turning to poke my bruise again. My lips twitched as she huffed and stomped to the door. "Out, **_now_**!"

The Grunts scrambled for the exit, harried by her shrill voice. She remained by the door frame to ensure none of them slipped me anything. When the last uniform disappeared, she slammed the door shut, sending me a venomous glare in the process.

I rolled my eyes while rising. Team Plasma was awfully stupid to assume that I'd be an easy handle.

For the first time, I noticed a door set into the wall next to a black wardrobe. It was hidden in the wardrobe's shadow, the only visible part being the silver knob. Without hesitation, I opened the door.

My irritation melted into awe.

Before me was the most luxurious bathroom I'd ever seen. I locked the door behind me, and slid my fingertips along the smooth countertops that took up the whole east wall, mirrors occupying the wall's upper half. The marble dipped low into the ground creating a large hot tub that I'm pretty sure was the bath. A ten-headed shower was carved into the pale stone with a frosted glass door. Fluffy towels were to the immediate right of the door, a hamper, likewise, to the left.

I started the tub up, filling it with bath oils and bubbles. Any other time I would have gotten in the shower, but I needed the relaxation. I stripped and examined myself in the mirror. Bruises littered my body, a sore reminder to my failure. I pursed my lips. I needed to stop dwelling on that, what's done is done. No use in living in the past.

All my thoughts agreed as I slipped into the bath, the hot water releasing the tension from my muscles.

My hand slid down my face in aggravation at the belated realization that I'd forgotten to get a change of clothes from my bag. Then again, I didn't know where my bag was to begin with... so I stood in the bathroom, towels on my head and around my body, trying to figure out what to do.

I opened the bathroom door just enough to peek around to room to make sure I was alone. Seeing that I was, indeed, the single occupant, I walked to the wardrobe and opened it. I blinked several times, as if it would make what was in front of me change.

Several types of clothing were packed in the large object, but the gender of the clothing was strictly male. _Lovely_.

I grabbed a button up and a pair of plaid boxers before strolling back into the bathroom. I frowned as the cotton top rubbed against my bare skin; I didn't like the feeling of not having a bra on, but I wasn't about to put my old one on. That would defeat the purpose of bathing. The boxers were also intolerable. It took a couple rolls of the waistband for it to sit on my hips and, even then, they slipped dangerously low. _Maybe he was right about eating more._

The towel around my head fell, freeing my damp hair. I bent over, gathering the tangled locks, and tied it into a messy bun. A few strands fell out when I came up. I pushed them away from my face in a dramatic huff. Nothing was going right for me and it was really making me angry.

I stormed to the bed, ripping the covers back and throwing the excessive amount of pillows to the ground. My body tossed and turned no matter how sweetly the mattress caressed my curves. My mind was restless and it showed.

I let out a half-groan half-sob as I thrashed around. Yep, that's right. The failure of Unova was throwing a temper tantrum. I wiped at my eyes and curled into the fetal position. I didn't like this bed. I didn't like these clothes. I didn't like this room. I didn't like the people. I didn't like _any_ of this.

I wanted my own clothes, my own bed, and my own room. I wanted my Pokemon, my friends, and my mom. I wanted to go home.


End file.
